Chapter 16

Isabella

My silk dress drapes my skin. It feels so light and sensual. Once dressed, I go to my desk and sit down in front of the vanity. Mascara elongates my already full lashes. Black eyeliner traces my dark eyes, lifting into wings by the corners of my eyes. Dark waves of hair fall over my shoulder, and I shake out the curls shaped into it. Cherry vanilla perfume is the last step in my routine, and I spritz it around me, filling the air with the familiar scent.

I'm dreading tonight.

But I have no choice.

The Vendettis invited me to dinner, which means it's not an option. It may have come across as an invitation, but it's merely a polite demand.

I throw my jacket over my long red dress and head toward the door, but Vance stops me by gripping my arm as I walk by. He tugs me into his chest, and his warmth engulfs me. I breathe in his masculine scent, saying nothing as his chest rises and falls behind me.

"You think you can go alone? That's cute."

My eyes rise to meet his. "I was told to come alone."

He scoffs. "There's no such thing anymore, Bella. Until this gig is up, you and I are one and the same. If you're invited somewhere, so am I."

My eyes narrow on him. "You're going to get yourself killed. For what? Me?"

I'm baiting. I want him to say I'm worth the risk. But he won't tell me, even if he thinks it.

I should be nervous about going alone, but the brothers won't do anything in the presence of the man who set up this whole sordid mess. They'd never act out of place in front of their father.

I can't say the same thing if I walk in with Vance behind me. His presence could shift the tone of the entire room. But I know he won't let me go by myself, even if it makes things more difficult for both of us.

"Let me get dressed," he says, and when he turns to walk away, I glance at the car keys on the table beside the door. He catches my gaze out of the corner of his eye and swivels around to snatch them away.

"Fine, but hurry up. I'll be late!" I say.

He doesn't respond as he disappears into his room.

I drop onto the chair with a snarl. It's not just how he'll affect everyone that worries me. There's so much more to why I don't want him there.

First, how can I eat dinner with my future husband's family while dirty thoughts of Vance plague my head? I also can't stop thinking about him because I have unwanted feelings for him. Or my pussy has feelings for him. Either way, something inside me feels something for him.

His bedroom door slams, and he comes down the hall looking like a pre-dinner snack. A crisp black suit hugs his muscles, and I want to say fuck this dinner and climb him like a tree, but I have obligations, and those obligations don't involve Vance.

"Can you pick up your jaw, little girl? It's creepy," he says as he passes me and walks out the door.

I blow out an annoyed breath. My jaw was not on the floor. If anything, my metaphorical panties were.

I follow him to the car. My skirt rides up my thighs as I sit down in the low sedan. Vance closes the door behind me before getting into the driver's seat.

"This is a bad idea," I remind him one last time.

"So is this," he says, gesturing between us.

"Playing around with me isn't going to get one or both of us killed!" I screech.

Vance cocks his head at me. "Playing with you could definitely get me killed. Maybe even you. Depends on how your father would feel about his soiled daughter after I take every drop of your innocence."

My cheeks flame hot at his words. I've never wanted to be more soiled in my fucking life. I tug down my hem and squeeze my thighs together to control the renewed ache.

Vance starts driving, and my mind goes to riding his lap as he drives. My clit swells. It fucking hurts. I want nothing more than to climb over this console and hump him, but I can't.

It's bad enough that my cheeks will carry the red glow into the Vendetti home. I'm not sure how much of my innocence will seem depleted when they look at me. How much of Vance's touch can they see through my eyes?

"You'll have to get me off before we go in there, Vance," I whine.

His eyebrow rises. "Why?"

"Because I can't focus if I'm this fucking horny. They'll know about us! It's all over my face."

He smirks. "Get it off your face, then." His hand drops to my thigh. "I'm not getting you off. I want you to be blind with arousal when you go to dinner with your future husband. I want you to think of nothing but me as you sit across from him."

Evil. He's fucking evil.

So why do I want to be ravaged by his darkness?